Chapter 392: Episode 74 – Great War of Saints and Demons (7)
The strength of <Underworld> was incredible.
The army of the Underworld that entered the 121st regional conflict completely swept away the combatants from both the ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ camps and reverted all ‘Good/Evil’ within the battlefield to ‘neutral.’
[Advance!!]
Constellations participating in the 121st regional conflict saw the army of Hell encroaching their battlefield and either they ran away, or ended up being incapacitated.
[121st regional conflict has been forcibly concluded.]
[Applicable battle’s outcome can’t be decided.]
[Lack of will to fight by the participants of the applicable battle has been confirmed.]
[Applicable regional conflict has been excluded from the category of ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’.]
I glanced at the now-concluded battlefield and without taking a break, shifted my gaze over to the next Gate.
[117th Gate is currently in activation.]
[119th Gate is currently in activation.]
[123rd Gate is currently in activation.]
According to the plan, my companions should be in the middle of a dogfight inside the 117th and 119th Gates right now, having split up earlier. Jeong Hui-Won and Yi Hyeon-Seong were in the 117th Gate, while the 119th was manned by Han Su-Yeong and Yu Jung-Hyeok.
Which means, I should help with the situation in the 117th, rather than 119th….
[Constellation, ‘Mass Production-type Maker’, says that you must enter the 123rd Gate.]
….123rd?
But, there shouldn’t be anyone there?
I focused on the blurry images of the battlefield that could be seen from the Gate. And then….
“What the f…..?”
….I immediately issued a new order to advance.
“All personnel, we march through the 123rd Gate!”
My order prompted 30,000-plus combatants from the Underworld to march through the Gate. The great army of the netherworld riding on the pitch-black clouds crossed the portal and began arriving on the skies of the 123rd regional conflict zone.
“Yu Jung-Hyeok, you stupid bastard!”
There he was, bleeding profusely and dying. And then, Anna Croft carrying him on her back.
I kind of understood why that fool decided to not stick to the plan and participated in this particular battle.
“‘Demon King of Salvation’!!”
I heard her urgent calling and at the same time, I spotted the enemies hurriedly chasing after her and her human cargo.
They were Constellations from the very angry <Vedas> and <Papyrus>. Most of them were Historical-grade, but there were a few Fable-grade among them, as well.
[Your affiliated camp is ‘Evil’.]
Meanwhile, Yu Jung-Hyeok and Anna Croft were on the camp of ‘Good’.
In other words, the enemies pursuing them were ‘Evil’. If this was the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ of the original storyline, then they would’ve been my comrades, instead.
“….Kill them all.”
Unfortunately, my allies in this battlefield were neither ‘Good’ nor ‘Evil’.
[For the glory of <Underworld>!]
The Three Judges riding on the Hellsteeds burning in hell’s flames roared out in unison and dashed towards the enemy ranks.
Aeacus of Mercy and Righteousness.
Minos of Wisdom and Law.
Rhadamanthys of Impartiality and Incorruptibility.
When alive, they walked the path of the king, and now, they tread on the paths of the netherworld’s judges. They unleashed the auras befitting the Fable-grade Constellations that they were and began cutting down the approaching enemies’ numbers.
[How come the <Underworld> has….!!]
[Kuwaaahck!!]
I landed next to Yu Jung-Hyeok and Anna Croft while watching the enemies bleed out Fables and die.
His entire body was covered in grievous wounds. Even his coat featuring strong resistance against heat couldn’t withstand the high temperature and had melted half-way down; I couldn’t really hear his breathing, either.
I observed his left leg, now gone. There were traces of it ‘disappearing’ due to the internal expansion force.
….This idiot, he must’ve used ‘Shooting Star Slash’.
He might be able to fool the others, but there was no fooling my eyes. This was a truly stunning rate of growth.
Originally, the ‘Shooting Star Slash’ was Yu Jung-Hyeok’s hidden trump card that he barely managed to learn after going past the one-thousandth regression turn. But here he was, managing to reach that realm on only his third turn.
“He’s still breathing.”
“How did he end up like this?”
“He was trying to save me…..”
“Yu Jung-Hyeok was saving you??”
She quietly stared back at me, but her gaze eventually dropped lower. Her ensuing voice sounded bitter.
“He said that my death isn’t a part of your plan.”
For a moment there, I felt at a complete loss.
Why would Yu Jung-Hyeok…..
I took over his care from Anna Croft. I pressed his pressure points to stem the bleeding, and after laying him down, I took a better look at his current condition.
The ‘Shooting Star Slash’ was a technique the current him couldn’t handle yet. The left leg that somehow managed to withstand the explosive forward thrust was beyond saving. Limb dismemberments couldn’t be healed even with [Elaine Forest Essence].
I sighed for a brief moment there, before pulling out a certain item from my inner pocket. And it was something that reminded one of a tentacle belonging to a dark, sooty-coloured squid.
[Fragments of Squid Kim Dok-Ja’s seventh tentacle]
Anna Croft glared at the item with suspicious eyes. “What is that?”
“I got it as a gift not too long ago.”
“A gift? …..That?”
I was at a loss again as to how I should explain this.
Actually, this item was a ‘not-for-sale’ bonus article available only during the “Kim Dok-Ja Company Collaboration” event held by ‘Mass Production-type Maker’ just before the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ went underway.
I remembered that those who purchased a brand-new [Ferrarghini] received this on a first-come-first-served basis. I can still vividly recall the conversation I had with the ‘Mass Production-type Maker’ back then.
Fin.